Dominique Wilkins: The Human Highlight Film

The Cover 4.com presents you with Dominique Wilkins: The Human Highlight Film! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @thecover4 or facebook at theCo VerFour

A lot of people hear the name Dominique Wilkins and only remember how he was the most forceful, powerful and flashy dunker the game will probably not see again for quite some time. But what many fans seem to forget is that you can’t score 26,668 some odd points off of dunks in a 17-year career (12 of which were with Atlanta Hawks). For those of you like myself who need a picture drawn…that’s 13,334 tomahawks and windmills in total which equals NINE dunks a game for 17 years straight. He’s strong, but nobody’s THAT strong.

Now, for a little history lesson. Did you know Wilkins was born in France? After his family moved back to the States, he then moved to North Carolina despite his mother’s objection so that he could help support his family. He was discovered playing at the Bridge Street Recreational Center by then-Washington (N.C.) High School coach Dave Smith who offered Wilkins a place to stay under the conditions that he’d come play for his team the following season. I know you’re thinking, “that’s definitely NOT legal,” but that goes to show how the off-the-court game has changed so much in the last 30-plus years. But that’s a story for another article (stay tuned 😉 ). The two years he spent at Washington led to back-to-back state titles while DW put up 29 points and 16 rebounds a game. Say WHAT?!

It was at this time that Wilkins became known as the nation’s most valuable natural talent, and colleges were ready to put up a serious fight for him. The University of Georgia proved to be victorious in this fight, which had been considered a long shot or a no shot. Some of the Washington town-folk responded by breaking windows in his mother’s house and spilling paint on the car they claimed had been purchased for her by Georgia officials. Dominique’s mother, Mrs. Gertrude Baker (she had remarried), said she had bought the car from a Washington automobile dealer, and had gotten it cheaply because of her son’s fame.

While at Georgia, Wilkins became known as the most exciting athlete in college sports averaging 21.6 points a game over his three-year collegiate career (Note that I said ATHLETE, not dunker). Wilkins gained notoriety for having a hunger for the ball. Not just hustle plays such as diving for loose balls, but also having a remarkable awareness for where the ball is going to drop after a shot. You have this guy who stands approximately 6 foot 8I as one of the hardest workers in the game. The highlight film wasn’t only made in the front-court, but bringing a vicious “MUST WIN” loose ball mentality every time down the court is not only intimidating but also arguably the most valuable tool in having a strong playoff contender. With that, I now must mention the 54 points he dropped in ‘86 against Larry Bird, Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics. Once again, 27 dunks on that team is pretty close to impossible (please refer to video).

Yeah, this man was way more than a dunker. Wilkins is a great candidate for being considered one of the best natural talent contenders of all-time. The man, the multi-faceted killer, the muscle, the HOF great, the legendary Human Highlight Film.